


i love the light in your eyes and the dark in your heart

by berryfuls



Category: Other - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-26 11:19:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22617403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berryfuls/pseuds/berryfuls
Summary: (Summary removed)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 183





	i love the light in your eyes and the dark in your heart

To say Jeremy didn’t understand the concept was an understatement.

“So you’re telling me,” Jeremy started, one hand open in front of him in hopeless confusion, “That this is a _ crew _ tradition.”

Gavin beamed. “Started four years ago!” He continued passing out notecards and neon red pens. “Write your name down, Lil J!”

“I’m sorry, I still don’t get it,” Jeremy repeated. He felt like he’d said it a thousand times.

Ryan scribbled his name down on his notecard. “It’s just like secret Santas, but it’s secret valentines.”

“But why?”

Jack was spinning in her chair at the conference table beside him, staring up at the ceiling, bored. “It started because Michael and Gavin both wanted to ask the other to be valentines, but because they’re dumbasses, they both rigged it and annoyed everyone.” The two lads both protested the comment as she stopped her spins. She filled out her card as well.

“It keeps up team morale.” Geoff folded up his card and placed it in his upside-down top hat on the table. The others did the same. 

“Also, it’s become a game of who can give the biggest teddy bear,” Michael added with a grin.

Jeremy sighed. Since joining the Fake AH Crew six months ago, he had learned that the group had many holiday traditions. Halloween trick-or-treating, in which they all borrowed Ryan’s masks and robbed shady convenience stores of their full-sized candy bars, was his favorite so far.

And odds were that he wouldn’t draw the _ one _ name he tried to convince himself he didn’t want to draw.

He added his name to the hat.

Gavin grinned and began mixing up the names inside. “Okay, now draw a name and make sure you don’t get your own.”

“Or _ do_,” Ryan added quietly, hiding a mischievous smile. On the most recent of their many paired missions together, he had told Jeremy how the first year he had drawn his own name and gave himself an Edible Arrangement, just because he’d always wanted one. The crew had been a little annoyed at the rule-bending and stole half of the chocolatey fruit as punishment. And now it was an explicitly stated rule.

  
Jeremy remembered with embarrassment how he had _ giggled _ at the story.

Everyone muttered, “No, Ryan,” as they each reached forward to grab a card from the hat. Jeremy took the first one his fingers found and opened it to see _ Gavin _ written.

He let out a sigh of relief. It’d be easy to be Gavin’s secret Valentine. He considered himself to be good friends with both Gavin and Michael, so he could collude with Michael to do something funny _ and _ nice. He could cover Gavin’s Faggio in roses, he could create the world’s biggest singing card-

“Fuck, I got myself,” Geoff said, annoyed.

Well, there went those ideas. He returned Gavin’s card to the hat so everyone could redraw. The little schoolgirl residing in his brain, the one there just to torment him by making him feel feelings, got hopeful again that _ ooooh, you could get- _

Nope. Not gonna think it.

He took another card and opened it.

_ I hope you’re happy, brain schoolgirl_, he thought bitterly. Brain schoolgirl was dancing for joy. Jeremy wasn’t entirely sure what he was meant to feel. Was he excited or upset? Nervous? Nauseous? Why do all those things feel the same?

He refolded the card so he didn’t have to look at the handwritten _ RYAN _ anymore. Maybe someone pulled their own name again.

“Everyone good?” Gavin asked to confirm that very thing. Everyone nodded. _ I hate this universe and all the butterfly effect events that got me here, _Jeremy thought as Gavin went on. “Awesome! Remember, don’t tell anyone in the game who you got! And there’s no spending limit but your gift has to be a traditional Valentine’s Day gift.”

“Chocolate, stuffed animals, flowers,” Ryan listed off. 

“Massive dildos,” Michael tacked on with a snicker. 

Jack kicked his chair away from hers. “Can whoever got me _ please _ not do that _ again _ this year?”

“Gift exchange and reveal will be at the family Valentine’s Day brunch, and yes, Geoff _ will _ be making his heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes,” Gavin finished, allowing the meeting to come to a natural end. Geoff threw a half-hearted order to get some work done, dickheads, as everyone filed out.

Everyone seemed so excited about the game, but Jeremy couldn’t help the fluttery anxiety that had settled in his stomach and chest when he had read Ryan’s name. He wanted to be excited. But he also had no _ idea _ what to give Ryan without it being completely obvious that he had a gigantic crush on the guy. 

Regardless, he couldn’t back down now. He had five days to think of the perfect “totally completely platonic, this definitely doesn’t mean I wanna kiss your dumb face or go on a date with you haha unless” Valentine’s gift. 

Maybe Buzzfeed curated a list.

He had almost gotten away to his room to hide until his panic subsided (or forever, he hadn’t decided yet), but why would anything go his way today?

“Lil J!” Ryan called down the hall, jogging to catch up to Jeremy. He was grinning and his excitement was infectious. Jeremy nearly forgot the game. “Geoff has a little infiltration mission for us, a Battle Buddies specialty.”

A chance to blow off some steam? “Hell _ yes, _ ” he replied, matching Ryan’s grin. 

They made a great duo in the field, both loving the chaotic without sacrificing mission success. The crush had only developed naturally from that chemistry and those experiences. It made _ sense _ . Ryan was tall and funny and extremely attractive, he could drive a sports car like it was a part of his body, those _ arms_-

“Great!” Ryan was handing him something and okay, this is fine, maybe Jeremy can avoid spiraling for one mission. He took the case file and when he opened it, he could have sworn his heart stopped beating. “The Pegasus family, who owns the Pegasus company, is throwing their annual Valentine’s Day mansion party tomorrow night.” And guess who was lucky enough to have an invitation?

“Who throws a party on a Tuesday?” Jeremy asked instead of the much more obvious question of _ why is this addressed to Mister and Mister Redfern oh dear God are we posing as husbands for this_. His somehow-still-beating heart felt something akin to hope.

“When you’re that rich, it’s not like you have to get up early the next day to work a day job. You make all your money from exploiting your employees. Speaking of which,” he reached over to tap a photo, “Our client, Seth Merritt, was recently voted off the board and fired by the family for him mentioning inhumane treatment of factory workers overseas. And he wants payback.”

“So what, he wants us to cause a ruckus at the party?”

“Nope,” Ryan said, popping the _ p_. “He wants us to slip away and plant a little something in Priscilla’s room.” Priscilla Pegasus was the heir to the Pegasus fortune, and at 23 years old, was set to become the youngest CEO in Los Santos history. 

Ryan produced a cinched sack from his jacket pocket. He loosened the top so Jeremy could see the dozens of high-quality, marble-sized diamonds glittering inside. 

“Holy shit,” Jeremy whispered. Ryan had to be holding at least a hundred million dollars in the palm of his hand.

“And these are still extremely hot, so don’t get any ideas to steal any because no fence in their right mind will take them,” Ryan teased as he closed the bag. “Merritt has set up a pretty extensive trail of evidence to Priscilla, and with the family’s reputation already in trouble, they’ll make sure she’s never seen in public again, let alone make her head of the company.” He slipped the bag back into his pocket.

“Sounds straightforward, not much to plan. Should we leave here around eight?” Jeremy asked, closing the file and handing it back.

Ryan put on his widest smile yet. “It’s a date.”

Jeremy felt the fluttery anxiety back in his gut. A date. To a Valentine’s Day party. _ I cannot catch a break today. _

\---

“So now, not only is he my secret valentine or whatever, I _ also _ have to sneak into a couples-only Valentine’s Day party with him tonight,” Jeremy recounted the next morning. He was at a local diner for breakfast with Lindsay, who was currently examining their shared mountain of hashbrowns.

She snorted. “Fate really wants you to bang Ryan.” She beamed smugly at Jeremy’s unamused look before taking a bite of fried potato. “Have you figured out what you’re gonna get him yet?”

He shook his head. “The tech team is doing their own set this year too, right? Who did you get and can I steal your idea?” He finally dove into the hashbrowns as well.

She laughed again. “I got Fiona, and I bought her a set of edible panties in every color of the rainbow, so I beg of you, _ please _ steal my idea.”

“You’re not helping.”

“I’m not trying to.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Then again, Ryan _ would _ look good wearing only a hot pink gummy thong.”

“Alright.” That was not an image that was particularly helpful on this very morning.

Lindsay smirked. “I’m just saying, it’s Valentine’s Day. The one day of the year when you can be horny and-or romantic to your little heart’s desire. And he practically signed up for you to make a big scene.”

He swallowed and looked down at the half-eaten hashbrowns. She had a point. That didn’t necessarily mean he liked it.

“And listen,” she continued soothingly, sensing his worry. “Don’t think too much about tonight. I’ve been working this case with Geoff for a few weeks and it’ll be a breeze. Security at the mansion is a joke, and Gavin will be disarming the alarm system before you guys even arrive.” She shrugged. “Just focus on having a good time. You never know, you might get lucky.” She winked and that fluttery nervousness settled on him again.

_ You’ve gone on dozens of missions with Ryan before with no problem. You were alone a stakeout with him four days ago! Why is this one so different? _ The rational part of his brain was screaming at him how ridiculous this was, but then that dumb little schoolgirl piped up again.

_ This time you might actually slip up and ruin the Battle Buddies forever. _

\---

Getting into the party was annoyingly easy.

Alfredo had apparently spent hours forging the invitation, and in the end, the bouncer barely even glanced at it. He hadn’t even asked for identification. _ Sloppy. _

Jeremy almost wished it had taken longer, if only so he could somehow get used to the delicious sight that was Ryan, bare of any of the Vagabond get-up, long sandy hair pulled back into a ponytail, and wearing a tuxedo that matched Jeremy’s. He cleaned up extremely well. That was also annoying.

The huge double doors opened up into a massive grand foyer with a marble double staircase leading up to a shared landing on the second floor. Refreshments were laid out on a table before them, with an ice sculpture of Cupid surrounded by every kind of snack, dessert, and hor d'oeuvre you could imagine. Waiters in tuxedos walked around carrying trays of pink champagne. Pink and red hearts were seemingly _ everywhere _ \- as strings of lights strung around the staircases’ banisters; as big, shiny balloons in every corner; in the form of little foil wrappers on chocolates that littered every table’s surface; and on the floor runner leading from the doorway into the home.

It was sickening. Jeremy decided right then and there that he’s never celebrating another Valentine’s Day for the rest of his life.

He had taken Ryan’s offered elbow when they had gotten out of the car so they could approach the bouncer arm-in-arm, and he was now realizing that he was still holding it. Weird. No one here is going to know that they’re supposed to be married, so he might as well let go-

Ryan, as if he could hear these thoughts in Jeremy’s head, placed his hand on top of Jeremy’s. _ This isn’t real_. “Come on, we need to be seen a little before we can start the plan,” he muttered down next to Jeremy’s ear. 

A waiter appeared before them. “Champagne, gentlemen?”

Jeremy graciously accepted. Like hell was he going to get through this night without at least one glass of this.

Ryan held up his hand, declining the offer for himself. “No, thank you. I’m actually recently sober,” he lied smoothly. It was frustrating that that was a more acceptable answer than the truth that he just didn’t drink.

“Water, then?” The waiter offered a flute from another side of the tray. Ryan accepted it, if only so the waiter would move on to the next couple.

Once they were alone again, Jeremy turned to Ryan, letting go of his arm. If he stayed within his personal space, it was definitely only for appearances and not because he liked being close to Ryan. Duh. “So what’s our plan?” he asked, sipping his champagne. It was good. And this one flute of it probably cost more than the rent at his old apartment. _ Eat the rich. _

“Well, I want to raid the food table,” Ryan stated, as if adding it to the official itinerary of the night. He glanced at his watch. “It’s currently nine o’clock. Let’s hang out for a bit, get some snacks, then get this party started.” He winked, leaving Jeremy a little breathless, and then he was gone, making a beeline for a tray of cookies.

Jeremy smiled as he watched him leave.

“You two make a lovely couple.”

He jumped at the voice from over his shoulder and turned to face a gorgeous, blonde woman in an expensive-looking pale pink ball gown. She was at least a full head taller than Jeremy, likely from natural tallness combined with an overpriced stiletto heel. She looked down at him with dark brown, almost black, eyes. She was a little intimidating simply because of the name, but she wasn’t necessarily threatening.

This was Priscilla Pegasus.

She was making the same inspections of Jeremy as he was of her. She noticed the ring on his left hand and smiled gently. Jeremy had forgotten all about it and the nerves he’d had when Geoff had supplied the jewelry. _ You forgot because it’s supposed to be there for real, _the unhelpful part of his brain reasoned before his rational brain could tell it to fuck off.

“How long have you two been married?” she asked.

He and Ryan hadn’t exactly made a cover story, because it hadn’t seemed like they would have needed one. They hadn’t planned to stay for long.

“Very recently,” he answered, looking down at the gold band. “To be honest, we only met about six months ago, but when you know, you know.” That part, at least, was true.

She smiled, her eyes softening. Love transcends social class apparently. “That’s so sweet. I wish I had that. Dating in Los Santos is impossible when everyone here is fat, ugly, a communist, or way below my league_._” Jeremy wondered which he was. She took a sip of her champagne thoughtfully. “I can see that you two have something special, though.” _ What? _“Congratulations on the wedding. I ship this.” She waggled her finger between Jeremy’s chest and the snack table behind him.

His blood boiled a little bit. _ I ship this? _Gross. “Thank you.” He paused for a second. Might as well send the message a little, right? “He works for a small factory’s union outside the city to make sure workers are being treated well. I guess I fell in love with how he sticks up for the little guy.”

She gave him a look he couldn’t quite read. “Huh.”

Okay, maybe that was too much. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I should go make sure he isn’t loading up on too much sugar. It was nice to meet you, Priscilla.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” 

“Jeremy. Jeremy Redfern.” That’s what the invitation said, right?

“Very nice to meet you Jeremy, and tell your husband to come say hello if he gets a chance.” She smiled when he nodded, and he relaxed a little. Twenty-three years of playing hostess suited her, and she didn’t seem offended by his comment about Ryan’s fake workplace. She moved on to mingle with another group of guests. 

The conversation felt like another sick joke to agree with Lindsay’s jab about fate wanting him to bang Ryan. _ No time to unpack the fact that even Priscilla Pegasus agrees. I hate dumb fancy parties with shallow heiresses. _

He finally found Ryan trying to extract a cupcake from a giant display. “I just met Priscilla Pegasus,” he announced, getting some envious glances from others perusing the table. Proof that he couldn’t say too much here.

“Oh? How did that go?”

“She said we’re a lovely couple and she ships us.”

“I don’t know what that means.” Ryan popped a tiny snack of some sort in his mouth as he led the way into an emptier side room. “But what I’m hearing is we have an opening.”

_ Please. _“Probably as good a time as we’re gonna get.”

\---

If getting into the party had been annoyingly easy, getting into Priscilla’s room was _ insultingly _ easy.

They had slipped outside through a side door, where the backyard was set up to host more guests. It was a little chilly out tonight, so no one had bothered leaving the warmth and abundance of alcohol inside. Then it was an easy climb up to a balcony, checking with Gavin that the security system was down, picking the lock, and they were in.

Priscilla’s room was shockingly _ messy_. There were shiny things and lights and clothes and lamps and trinkets seemingly everywhere, on the three vanities and on top of the four dressers, spilling out of multiple closets. There were at least seven gowns, nearly identical to the one she was wearing downstairs, piled on the bed. Jeremy was scared to step anywhere, worried about breaking something expensive. It was a massive room, but the clutter made it feel no bigger than Jeremy’s at the penthouse. 

Ryan snorted. “I guess the housekeeper hasn’t been through in a while.” He dug the cinched sack out of the breast pocket on his suit jacket. “Merritt said to leave this somewhere hidden but not _ too _ hidden, like behind a light switch.”

Jeremy scanned the room. They could leave it under a pile of stuff on the floor, but odds were it’d never be found ever again. He looked over the vanities again. “It also has to be in a place where _ she _ won’t find it first.” That eliminated her jewelry box, her makeup set, and any other beauty products.

Then he spotted a row of thick books on a bookcase in the corner. They all had clean, unwrinkled spines, indicating that they’d never even been opened. He tiptoed his way over to the stacks. _ University Physics 5th Edition_, _ Business 101_, _ American History and What We Can Learn from It. _ They were all college textbooks. Priscilla had graduated two years prior after her daddy had paid tutors to take tests for her. _ Allegedly. _

“Over here,” he called to Ryan. 

“Oh, _ perfect_.” Ryan pulled the thickest book from the shelf, as well as something from his pocket. “Watch my back, this shouldn’t take long.”

Jeremy wasn’t sure what exactly he was planning to do, until Ryan opened the book and stuck his knife into it. The expertly sharpened blade cut through the pages like butter. True to his word, he had carved out enough space from the middle of the book to create a secret compartment.

And the sack fit in it like a glove.

“I heard about this from a life-hack YouTube channel. Guess it works,” Ryan chuckled.

“It looks amazing,” Jeremy said. He watched as Ryan closed the cover and slid the book back on the shelf. The spine read _ Professionalism and Ethics. _ Fitting, given what they fired Merritt for. Ryan slid the discarded pages into his pocket where the sack had been and folded up the knife.

“Thank you-”

He was cut off by the mansion’s alarm sounding.

“I thought Gavin turned that off,” Jeremy said as they rushed back through the balcony doors.

“Must have had a backup we didn’t know about.” They vaulted over the balcony railing and landed on the cushy lawn below. There was a cacophony of chaos from inside the mansion, so going back in wasn’t really an option. Too many flighty rich people to call them out.

“_Head out towards the back of the property_,” Gavin instructed suddenly over the comms. Escaping that way would force them over a ten foot fence while wearing tuxedos, but police sirens started up from nearby and they didn’t have much time. They took off for the fence.

Jeremy interlocked his fingers, creating a step so he could give Ryan a leg up over the fence. Then, thankful for all the years of gymnastics, he easily scaled the painted wood and dropped down on the other side.

“Gavin, it’s _ wet _back here!” Ryan was saying, shaking mud off his dress shoe. 

“_ Sorry, _ ” came the answer. “_Only option was through the swamp. I’m texting you both coordinates to where Jack is gonna meet you with a speed boat to bring you back._”

Sure enough, Jeremy’s phone buzzed in his pocket, and they headed off towards the rendezvous.

“What happened back there?” Jeremy asked. His socks were already soaked through. Their shoes and pants were likely ruined.

“_It wasn’t us. Someone pulled a gun on the bouncer. Just real shit timing. _”

“Incredible,” Ryan muttered. 

Then, he fell flat into six inches of murky swamp water.

“Are you okay?” Jeremy knelt down as Ryan was pulling up onto his knees.

He looked more annoyed than pained, which was a good sign. “Friggin’ underwater rock,” he cursed under his breath. Then his eyes went wide in panic. “My knife.”

He fumbled to get it from his pants pocket. “Ry?” he asked, confused as Ryan opened and closed the blade and tried drying it with the sparse dry sections of his suit. Jeremy offered his dry sleeve, if only to try to help the strange situation. Ryan accepted, pressing the knife flat against the fabric with the same intensity that would be seen in someone giving their loved one CPR.

“I can’t get it wet,” he explained finally. “It’ll rust the swivel.”

“It doesn’t get wet when you stab people with it?”

“No one is worthy of being stabbed by Mr. Pointy.” _ Mr. Pointy? _ He sighed, seemingly giving up and finally moving to stand. He was _ soaked_, and little bits of wet grass clung to the tuxedo. He looked so pitiful, like a puppy that had been caught out in a rainstorm. 

Jeremy had to forcibly stop his brain from supplying the word _ cute. _ The man was a killer. He didn’t exist on the same plane as the word _ cute. _ “Come on, I think I can see Jack.”

\---

Geoff was pinching the bridge of his nose. “I can_not _ believe you ruined two perfectly good suits. But otherwise, the plan went off well?”

They had been allowed to shower and change upon returning to the penthouse, and Jeremy was mostly grateful that he had been able to get those wet socks off. It was almost midnight by now and he was exhausted, but Merritt, sitting next to Geoff in the conference room, wanted a debrief now. They had finally finished retelling the story of the night and confirming that they had _ not _ been the ones to set off the alarm. _ Just fate playing a cruel joke. Again. _

“Yeah, it went as well as it could have,” Jeremy answered. Ryan had been pretty quiet all night, apparently still lamenting Mr. Pointy. “And with the bag in that hollowed-out textbook, Priscilla will never find it herself.”

“And she didn’t suspect anything at the party?” Merritt asked.

“She had nothing _ to _ suspect. She did congratulate Ry and I on our wedding, though.”

“Excellent.” Merritt was grinning. Always a good sign from a rich paying customer. He pulled out his phone and tapped a few times. “The money has been wired over, with a little bonus for perfect execution. Watch the news this weekend, boys.”

Geoff clapped him on the back. “Let me walk you out. I’m sure these two are looking forward to getting some well-deserved rest.” He winked at Jeremy as Merritt turned to the door, and Jeremy beamed back. He had done good tonight. With only six months on the job, it still felt amazing to be told he had done a good job.

Ryan was already standing to leave out the other conference room door, and Jeremy followed him out. “You okay, Ry?” he asked, jogging to catch up to Ryan’s side.

Ryan stopped and sighed. “I know it’s stupid, it’s just a knife and I have plenty more, right?” He wasn’t accusatory. It was more like the thoughts that had been circling in his head, telling him he was overreacting, had finally burst out.

“I don’t think it’s stupid. It’s something that’s important to you.”

He blinked, surprised. “Really?”

“Of course. We’re all only human. We get attached to things.”

Ryan seemed to take comfort in the validation, because he slid the knife out of his pocket. When he flipped it open, the metal creaked and groaned in protest. Already rusted. “I moved to Los Santos with a hundred bucks, a change of clothes, and a shitty knife for protection. It’s been a constant reminder of how far I’ve come since then.”

It was a strangely intimate moment, looking down at the rusty knife in Ryan’s hand as he noisily closed it again. It had been such a vital part of his story, the two of them simultaneously being sharpened into something more dangerous. Jeremy felt ridiculous for feeling nostalgic for memories he didn’t share with Ryan or the knife.

“You know what? I want you to have it.”

Ryan was already reaching for Jeremy’s arm to pull up his hand and place it on his palm before the words registered. “No, Ryan, I can’t-”

“Of course you can.” There was the threat of that signature mischievous Haywood smile threatening to break through. “Who knows? Maybe it’ll bring you the same luck it’s brought me.”

Jeremy slowly closed his fingers around the weight. “I’ll take good care of it.”

“I know you will.” He stopped to yawn. “Okay, I really gotta get some sleep. I’m too old to be going to Valentine’s Day parties on Tuesdays and then swimming through swamps. Have a good night, Jeremy.” He patted Jeremy’s closed fist and headed down the hallway to his room.

“Night, Ry,” Jeremy called after him before shutting himself inside his own room.

Somehow, despite the disgusting decorations at the party, he had completely forgotten about Valentine’s Day until now. The familiar anxiety about the upcoming gift exchange settled in his gut for a moment.

Then he looked down at the knife.

\---

Jeremy didn’t think he’d ever been woken up by a confetti popper shot _ directly _ into his face before.

The loud _ pop _ and the smell of gunpowder were the first things to register, then the mess of pink paper hearts and strings on his face, _ then _ the sight of Gavin in his bedroom wearing nothing but a cloth diaper.

What the _ fuck_.

“Happy Valentine’s Day! From Cupid himself!” Gavin exclaimed as if it would stop Jeremy from hurling him against a wall.

Jeremy wiped the confetti off his face as he sat up in bed. “Okay, we get it, today is your anniversary with Michael, you had amazing morning sex, now can you please go put clothes on?”

Gavin blushed bright red. “Lil’ J!” He folded his arms across his chest, embarrassed, and headed back out the door. “You’re the last to get out of bed and everyone is too excited to wait any longer for presents. Hurry up!”

“I’m quitting this crew,” he muttered to the ceiling once the doorway was clear.

He got dressed and went down to the kitchen, where both the main crew and the tech team were already eating pancakes. Okay, getting woken up at 8AM was a bit more forgivable now. Geoff handed him a plate with a grin.

“Great news about the Pegasus job. So, Priscilla approached Merritt about taking on a role to oversee factory worker conditions to ensure fair, ethical treatment. Said she was inspired by a five-foot Jeremy Redfern and his husband at her party.”

“I’m five-four!”

Geoff laughed. “Anyway, Merritt has plans to get the diamonds back now that he’s in the family’s good graces again, and he’s got some great ideas for change company-wide.”

“I’m glad everything ended so peacefully. Priscilla is just twenty-three and she’s been sheltered her whole life. She’s still got a lot to learn.” They joined the large circle that had settled in around the kitchen.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s get started!” Gavin, who was thankfully now wearing clothing, grabbed a box off the table. He handed the gift to Fiona.

Jeremy locked eyes with Lindsay across the room, who hid her smirk by taking a sip of orange juice.

“_What?!” _ Fiona yelled, her voice high with shock. “Who the hell got me _ these_?” She held up the pack of gummy underwear, much to everyone’s absolute delight.

When the laughter finally died down, Lindsay poked her head forward. “Uh yep, that was me.”

“Lindsay!”

The game continued, with Fiona picking the next gift. A few more rounds passed until finally Jack picked the gift Jeremy had wrapped last night. The nerves he had felt the whole game increased exponentially, and he couldn’t watch as Gavin pasted it over to Ryan.

There was a small round of giggles, supposedly when Ryan took it from the box. “_Someone _ knows Ryan,” Alfredo commented, and finally Jeremy looked over at what he knew was now in Ryan’s hands.

It was a small clear vase, nothing fancy, holding some fake flowers in the same black, white, and navy as Ryan’s favorite jacket, and some wooden sticks. Taped to the sticks were knives, all folded away for safety, in a rainbow of colors. Some had _ Vagabond _ engraved on the blades. And in the very middle, on a larger stick so it stuck out, was Mr. Pointy.

Ryan saw it first and immediately he was blushing. He looked over at Jeremy with a shy smile before taking the knife down and opening it.

Jeremy hadn’t just thrown this together last minute. He had had someone down at Ammunation replace the rusted parts and ensure that it would be waterproof for the rest of its existence. Then he went to the best blacksmith in town to make the others. They all matched Mr. Pointy in one way or another, but now he had a range of sizes and styles to choose from. It had cost him his entire cut of the Pegasus job to get it done so quickly.

Jeremy could see it was worth it. When the knife opened without the rusty resistance, just as it had for all the years before, Ryan was overwhelmed by emotion. He’d put a lot of thought and effort into the gift, and he _ glowed _ on the inside to see it be received so positively. 

He barely even noticed the suggestive faces Lindsay was sending his way.

“It’s a fucking _ bouquet _ of knives,” Matt muttered to Trevor. “I didn’t know something that stupid but also on-brand for this crew could exist.”

“Thank you, Jeremy. Even if I told you to keep the eight-dollar knife.” The others laughed, but they also didn’t really get it. The gift was personal, the way gifts should be. Ryan looked up at Gavin and started to say something before standing to whisper it in his ear instead.

Gavin rolled his eyes but nodded, and Ryan ran out of the room. Gavin continued the game without him, and Jeremy was a little confused. Had he done something wrong? Had the gift been too much? And it felt even worse when the pile of gifts ran out and Jeremy still hadn’t received anything. _ Was the crew trying to say something? That he shouldn’t be involved in team activities? Why couldn’t they have just said- _

Michael and Gavin pulled each of his arms until he was standing and then simultaneously covered his eyes. “Guys?”

“Shut up.” He could hear the smile in Michael’s voice.

He felt himself being pulled out to the roof. He was followed by some audible gasps as soon as he was out in the open air.

Michael and Gavin took their hands from his eyes.

Before him was a _ gigantic _ Spyro plushie, at least two feet taller than Jeremy, so this definitely won the biggest stuffed animal of the day. As he got closer to it, he could see it had a bag hanging from its neck. On the bag were the words _ To Mr. Jeremy Redfern_, and when he reached out to touch it, he could feel the (extremely fake) diamonds inside. Just like the ones they had left for Priscilla.

“Like it?”

Ryan came from behind the massive dragon with the widest smile on his face.

Jeremy couldn’t help it. He launched himself into Ryan’s chest, as if the hug could somehow express how _ incredible _ this gift was.

“Was it worth rigging the game, Ry?” Gavin called out, smug.

Jeremy could feel Ryan freeze. He pulled back. “Did you?”

“...A little?”

“Why?”

Ryan was blushing again. “I wanted you to be my Valentine but didn’t know how to ask?” _ Am I dreaming right now? Is this real life? Is he actually saying this? _ “So the guys helped out and I got this custom-made and hid it at Lindsay’s place-”

Jeremy kissed him to shut him up and also because _ this is the best gift I’ve ever gotten and you put so much into this, oh my God. _When Ryan tightened his embrace and returned the kiss, he felt his insides glow with joy that the feeling was reciprocated.

Then he remembered that all of their friends were currently watching and, oh God, _ cheering and heckling_, and he pulled away, a little embarrassed. Definitely not how he had ever pictured that first kiss going.

“Hold on,” Jeremy said, something finally processing in his head. He turned to face the small crowd. “Lindsay, the other day in the diner, you _ knew_?!”

She held up a smug middle finger. “Happy Valentine’s Day, motherfucker!”

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Valentine by 5 Seconds of Summer (which has major FAHC/Jeremwood vibes.)
> 
> Find me at deremyjooley.tumblr.com


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